Trumbull returning to paper ballots next year

WARREN

The Trumbull County Board of Elections voted to switch from its electronic, touch-screen voting system to a “deliberately low-tech” and less expensive paper-ballot system for its next election in May.

The elections board voted 3-1 Tuesday to purchase equipment costing $1.3 million for a paper system from Election System & Software of Omaha, Neb., that is similar to what voters use when they vote early at the elections board office or by mail.

Among the equipment is 150 ballot scanners for polling places. The elections board also will have to buy a lot more paper for ballots for each election than it does now, but that will come out of the elections board’s annual budget.

The new system will be much less expensive than replacing the current touch-screen system because those cost $3.2 million to $4 million, said Stephanie Penrose, elections board director. All, or nearly all, of the cost of the new system, including low-tech polling booths to be purchased later, will be paid for with money the Ohio Legislature allocated for it, Penrose said.

Read more about the matter in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.